A Deal Is A Deal
by AngelKitten112478
Summary: Soon to be 14 Mackenna Zeigler was living a normal life, hanging out with the losers and enjoying being a teenager. However, that was until she and Bill's little brother, Georgie fell into the claws of the demonic clown, IT. How much longer until the ultimate deal is made? Rated T for future blood, language and violence.
1. Chapter 1-Mackenna Zeigler

Kitten: So, IT is my FAVORITE Horror movie! I read the book by Stephen King in surprisingly a short amount of time, and when I went to see the remake last year with my friends, we ALL just LOVED it!

Kitten: Anyway, I've been thinking for a while about creating my AU based off IT, and when I chatted with not only my friends/family in real life, but other writers as friends, they told me it would be a splendid idea. So, of course, I decided to go through with it, and here I am now!

Kitten: I purposely waited until the Summer to post this because the time frame where all this horror and suspense starts happens to be in the summer time.

Kitten: So, some friends asked to be in the story and part of the losers club, so Mackenna is obviously part of the club already(so are her siblings), but I have many OC's who are her friends, so I switched my real life friends' names around so they can be in IT.

Kitten: Alright, enough explaining! *Grins* I'm doing the disclaimer only once, 'cause it's just easier and I decided from now on I'm gonna just do the disclaimer **only** at the **beginning** of each of my stories, unless I created the story myself. Just makes things a whole lot easier.

Kitten: Disclaimer: I don't own IT, Stephen King does, but I do own this story based off his novel.

Kitten: I hope you guys enjoy!

P.S.-This is rated T for language and a little violence and blood. If you don't like any of these things, feel free to read through my other stories.

* * *

~Mackenna Zeigler~

"I just don't understand! Why can't you come to see at least one of your son's plays!?" Screamed the shrill voice of a young woman downstairs, her voice cracking, evident that she was on the verge of tears.

"I told you, Maisie! I have work to do! Why can't you get that?!" Barked back the voice of a man, real snarky.

"Hmm, I don't know, maybe because you won't admit that you're sleeping with another woman?!"

"Oh, Good God! I told you a million times, I wasn't cheating on ya! Get that through your head, you _dumb bitch_!"

"Jet! How _dare_ you speak to me that way! I bet that's how you speak to that woman too, hmm?! I bet she enjoys it. I also bet she enjoys your company. I bet she enjoys it a lot."

"Damn it, Maisie, drop it already! Just fucking drop it!"

"Admit that you're sleeping with that woman, first!"

"Shut the fuck up already!"

"SAY IT!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

A young teenage girl groaned from inside of her room. Her parents were at it as usual. Again. What a surprise.

She had beautiful red velvet waves cascading down her shoulders, reaching all the way to her thighs.

Her skin was as pale as a cold winter storm. It looked as if the sun hadn't touched it her whole life.

The girl had striking lightning blue eyes, to the point where someone would jump, startled at how beautiful they were, as if they were struck by lightning themselves.

She also had some freckles on those snowflake white cheeks of hers.

She wore a pink spaghetti strap tank top, some white shorts and blank flip flops.

She was trying to listen to music, but her parents' screaming was just getting stupid now.

With a huff of annoyance, she pushed herself away from her brown desk, walking out her doorway and gradually trudging down the stairs, gripping at the railings tightly.

"-Look, I'm sorry, sweetheart," Jet apologized genuinely as he pulled his wife into his arms. "It's just been rough for me every since dad died. I don't mean nothing by it."

"I understand your pain, but this has to stop, Jet," She cried into his chest, "You need to stop burying yourself in your work and hiding from me. It isn't helping. I need you to actually speak with me. And you need to stop your drinking, too. For the kids' sake."

"I get it. I'm sorry…" Jet apologized once more and kissed his wife's head, before pulling her in for a long kiss on the lips.

The redhead smiled, seeing things were somewhat okay, and stepped out into the open.

"Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad." She greeted.

Jet pulled away from Maisie and grinned. "Hey there, Mackenna! How's my favorite girl doing?"

"Good." Mackenna giggled as she gave her father a hug.

Maisie sniffled and wiped at her eyes before smiling and sighing, "Mackenna?"

Said girl turned to gaze at her mother. "Yes, mom?"

"Is one of your brothers or sisters home?"

"Mhmm. Sean, Missy, and Lexa are home, but the others are out."

"Oh! Perfect!" Maisie grinned. "I'll have Missy and Lexa help me at the salon, and Sean can help me cook some dinner!"

"While that goes on," Jet said, turning his daughter to face him. "Why don't you come help me out at the shack for a bit, ladybug? It'll sure mean a lot."

Mackenna gave a small smile. "Sure thing, dad!" The redhead turned and hugged her mother. "See you later, mom!"

Maisie kissed her head. "Bye, Honey."

The teenager ran outside, and the two adults threw each other glares.

"We _are_ gonna talk later, Jet," Maisie said lowly.

" _Whatever_ ," Jet growled as he threw open the door, slamming it behind him.

* * *

*Mackenna's POV*

To be honest, I know it's been rough on pops every since gramps died. Actually, it's been horrible on all of us. Especially my brothers. They were pretty close with him. They even had grandfather/grandson days with him all the time. I liked to have my days with gramps separately.

That way, I knew that I had him all to myself for a whole day. He always bought me ice cream, or took me to the store and such. We've been doing those things every since I was a kid.

Dad was probably closest with him. I can't name one time where grandpa was in the room, and laughter wasn't filling the air. He was sure a good comedian. Another admirable trait about the guy.

He caught cancer, unfortunately. The same way grandma died 20 years before. Except his was much worse. Therefore, he only had about a week to live, and boy did it go fast.

I never really knew my grandmother. Only a few times when I was a baby. I do recall that she helped me to get on my feet the first time. But that's really all I remember. The rest is sort of fuzzy.

Once gramps died, things really started going down hill with dad. He snapped easier with everyone, but mainly with mom. I guess whenever she annoyed him, he would just yell, "Shut the fuck up, Maisie!", or "Fuck off!", or whatever other stupid catchphrase he had in that oh so brilliant mouth of his. That was when he started binge drinking.

Mom and pops were screaming every night. To be frank, I couldn't sleep. It wasn't scary, it was just a pain in the ass. I don't get scared that easily, if that's what people think. Whenever that would happen, me and my siblings would all lay in one room and try to get some sleep. It wasn't easy.

I distinctly remember an incident that happened one night, one that really scared me and my brothers and sisters out of our skin. One that I will never, _ever_ forget.

Dad was at the bar half the night, getting drunk, _as usual_ , and he didn't come home til' bout' 10:50 in the middle of the night. And he was drunk. No. Not just _drunk_. _Hammered_. Alas, the screaming and yelling started.

I was trying to get some sleep up in my room where my siblings rested, but when my eyes started to droop shut, my eyes snapped open and I couldn't remember feeling so terrified any other time in my life. I noticed that my siblings were up with wide eyes as well. We had heard a beyond obnoxious smash. But not the smashing of dishes. No, sir, not even close.

We quietly rushed to the staircase, and hid. Man, did the next part really terrify me.

There dad was, in front of mom who was fallen on the floor, sobbing and quivering while gripping at her right eye. Pops held a broken beer bottle, and I just knew that this couldn't be good.

When mom removed her hand, her brow was all bloody and completely cut up. A lot of the blood trailed down all the way to her chin. The source of the blood was a large gash from the beer bottle slashed right across her brow. God, was it stomach churning.

A lot of things filled my mother's eyes that night. Tears, of course, but not just that. Emotions. Emotions for my father.

Fear. Disgust. Horror. Terror. Anger. Hurt. Sadness.

I could go on and on. But I'm not going to. The one that truly stood out to me was the terror that she showed, not being able to believe for one second that the man she fell in love with had just slugged her with a beer bottle, resulting in hot blood and cold tears.

I guess I didn't notice some of my siblings standing right behind me with a horrified expression, because one of my little sisters, Missy, abruptly attacked me in a tight hug, burying her face in my chest as she sobbed, her cries muffled by my nightly T-Shirt.

I can remember hugging my poor sister back and kissing her head before resting my chin atop of it, pulling her away from the scene a little bit as I hugged her even tighter.

Missy didn't deserve to see something like that. She's just a kid. The last thing that she needs to see is her drunk dad abusing her mom. It just wasn't fair.

Now, does all this bother me? Hell, yeah! I'd be worried if it didn't.

Honestly, the beer bottle incident wasn't the only time pops abused mom, as terrifying as that sounds. There was a few times where he threw her against the wall when he got beyond pissed, and I'm pretty sure he punched her a few times a couple of months ago, right when gramps died.

As crazy as it may seem, mom's told me a million times that she can't find it in her heart to be mad at dad. She's told me a thousand times that he just had it rough. But either way, that doesn't mean it's okay for him to take it out on us. I think deep down, even mom knows that.

I know what a lot of people think when they see me.

I'm actually quite popular at my school. Apparently, I'm "beautiful", "smart", "Talented", "Intelligent", and so on. I'm a Straight A's Honors Student, who's always going on those field trips with only a few other kids.

I'm also in Choir Class, and my best friends and family say that I have the beautiful voice of a siren. My cheeks always heat up whenever someone says that.

Another thing that people always think about me is that I've always got someone. There's always someone there for me, and apparently, I'm so "perfect", I don't have any flaws or problems in my life.

Wrong. Even though, considering the fact that I have 3 sisters and 5 brothers, and tons of best friends, deep down, I'm alone. When your dad's become an alcoholic, one who abuses his wife out of anger and pain, and your mother has left to her own little world filled with angst and pain about why her man doesn't love her anymore, accepting his beatings, and never returned, it's hard.

So, honestly, I wouldn't call myself "popular" now that I think about it. Just well known by a lot of people. In good _and_ bad ways.

I have a pretty close relationship with my siblings, though. Especially with one of my brothers. I hang out with my brothers and sisters a whole lot, which is why I'm so close with them in the first place. I also love my best friends like brothers and sisters themselves. They've been there for me through hell and back. I'm sure real lucky to have 'em..

"I-I-I'd luh-luh-like a-a s-soda, p-please."

My head shot up at the familiar stammering voice. I looked to see a redheaded boy in front of me with a full, friendly smile.

"Oh! Hi, Bill!" I beamed with a giggle. "I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you there. A soda, was it?" I asked, turning away from him and walking over to the huge fridge that held different sodas, waters, juices, and even different bottles and glasses of alcohol.

I know it seems completely wrong that my father allows me to work here, handling alcohol. Hell, it's just as bad as handing a little kid a shotgun and saying, "Here! Go show your friends your new toy, pal!"

But I'm pretty grown up for my age. Quite frankly, I'm thinking about doing some college courses once I hit high school. I'm also gonna try to get into some AP classes, as well. My mom's taught me about alcohol my whole life, and every single word was drilled into my head, saying that I shouldn't even lick a single drop.

So, if I'm strong enough to handle all that, I'm pretty sure I'm grown up enough to handle some alcohol at my dad's shack.

Besides, once, when I was 4, I had some beer. It wasn't intentionally. I thought it was apple juice. My dad accidentally left a shot out on the counter, as he and my mom were talking with friends in another room. They were throwing a baby shower in honor of my mom being pregnant with one of my little sisters.

It smelled funny, but I just figured apple juice always smelled a little odd. It bubbled, too. But at the time, I figured it was just some sparkling apple cider. So I climbed up on the counter and drank the shot.

The minute it was digested, I nearly puked. I wasn't feeling so hot anyways that night, considering the fact that I had a bad case of influenza.

My stomach hurt for the rest of the night and I felt sicker than ever before, but I didn't want to say anything to my parents. They were having such a good time, I didn't want them to worry about me, especially my mom. She would've been stressed, and that could have hurt the baby.

Bill and his parents were over that night, so it made me feel better that we hung out and talked. I remember that Georgie was barely born, just a tiny little baby inside of his stroller, sleeping on and off. Sharon allowed me to hold him a few times, with the help of Bill.

He wore a big grin plastered across his face, that same grin when he found out that he was going to get a baby brother.

I distinctly recall feeling the exact same way about my baby sibling, who was born in the same year as Georgie.

As we got older, Bill mainly trusted me and Bev to babysit Georgie when he went out to hang with Stan, Richie, Eddie and the other losers. We always had such a fun time with the kid. I actually still do babysit Georgie with Bev, and sometimes it's just me and Georgie, vice versa. Either way, Georgie still loves it just as much.

Bill never trusted the other guys to babysit Georgie. When I say other guys, I mean Richie.

He wanted to teach Georgie about the birds and the bees, but Bill claimed that he was far too young to learn about that sort of stuff. Richie had sort of a… rather rough approach when it comes to talking about those kinds of things.

He said some pretty disturbing crap, and got carried away a little bit. Whenever he attempted it, Bill always caught him. Always. And he _wasn't_ happy. I… can't really blame him. He tried it a few times with Missy and Lexa, and failed miserably. Good thing I was always near.

" _Come on, Big Bill!"_ Richie would say with that stupid grin of his, _"I'm just trying to teach him about a couple of things! What's the big deal?"_

Bill would groan and face palm himself, _"Th-The b-big d-deal, R-Richie, I-is th-that muh-my bruh-bruh-brother's o-only_ ** _s-seven_** _! Not s-s-sixteen! I-I don't nuh-need you screwing w-with h-his I-innocence! H-He doesn't n-need to be m-messed up in th-the head just yet! Th-The w-world's g-gonna d-do it to h-him, and quite f-frankly, th-that's w-what scares me. J-J-Just l-let h-him f-find out on his o-own, a-alright? G-God… the sooner he doesn't r-reach o-our a-age, th-the b-b-better…"_

I would giggle as Bill and Richie would banter back and forward on that subject. It was sort of funny as Bill would scream at him, and Richie would keep his cool while Eddie rolled his eyes and tell them both to shut the hell up.

"Y-Yeah," He riposted, his grin growing wider. "Th-Th-Thanks."

"No problem!" I smiled as I pulled his preferred brand out of the fridge and walked over to the counter, working the register.

I handed him the drink. "You can drink it now. You've had a long bike ride here, and it only takes me a few secs to come up with the total."

"M-Man, th-thanks, K-K-Kenna. Y-You're th-the best."

I giggled again as Bill gulped down some of his soda and sighed.

"S-So," He said, and I glanced up at him as I added up the numbers. I mouthed the price and he gave me the money.

"Y-You r-ready for W-Winter B-Break I-in about t-two months?"

I groaned, "Like you wouldn't believe."

Bill laughed. "Y-Y-Yeah, I-I g-get it."

"How's that cold of yours by the way, Bill?" I asked with a frown, and he leaned against the counter with a groan.

"Ugh. Terrible. M-My ch-chest is congested, m-my stupid n-nose is c-clogged, I've g-got th-this st-st-stupid c-cough, a-and I-I literally a-almost p-passed out a-a few t-times. I-I f-f-feel l-like I'm f-fucking d-dying…!"

I felt bad for Bill. He had felt sick for almost a week now, and I knew how it felt. Last time I was sick like that, I couldn't leave bed for a while. Missy always came to visit me, though, so that always made me feel better.

But with Bill's extremely dramatic and descriptive statement, I couldn't help but giggle a little.

He gave me an incredulous look, "A-Are y-y-you l-laughing?", I giggled some more and sighed.

"I'm sorry, Bill. It's just… you act so melodramatic when it comes to things like this, I can't help but giggle a little bit."

"W-Well e-e-easy f-for y-you t-to s-s-say! A-At l-least y-you don't h-have a p-possible case o-of I-Influenza."

I smirked, "I suppose so. But just in case that _is_ possible, don't cough, puke, or spit on me, okay?"

Bill gave me that astonished look for a few more minutes, before he smirked as well.

"Oh. So don't d-do _th-this_?"

I yelped in surprise as he jumped behind the counter, getting up in my face.

"H-Hey! You can't be back here!" I exclaimed, but deep down I was laughing.

"I can't? Wh-Why?"

"Because it's not allowed, Bill."

"Wh-What's not allowed? Me d-doing this?"

He burst into a violent cough of fits, but I knew he was doing it on purpose. He got up in my face and tried coughing on me.

I laughed out loud as I tried to push him away.

"Bill!" I gasped. "Stop that!"

"Why?" He laughed himself. "It's f-fun!"

He then made disgusting guttural sounds, pretending to spit up or puke as he continued to get closer to me, and I laughed my head off as I backed up.

"Bill, c'mon!" I giggled, and smirked before grabbing the boy and trapping him in a headlock, messing up his hair.

"H-Hey!" He laughed.

I snickered, "Payback's a bitch, huh, Billy?"

"Sh-Shut th-the hell up!"

I chuckled, but I paused as I heard the familiar bickering of a pair of kids.

Once I looked up, letting go of Bill in the process, who ran a hand through his hair, straightening it up, I saw Eddie and Richie approaching the counter, Eddie glaring daggers at him and Richie laughing hard as hell.

"Brought those two dummies along, huh?" I asked with a warm smile.

"Y-Yeah," Bill riposted with a grin.

"What're they going on about this time?"

"E-Eh, wh-who knows…"

Once the guys got over to me and Bill, they were still obnoxiously arguing.

"I told you that it's not a big deal!" Richie laughed.

"And I told you that it fucking is!" Eddie growled in response.

"No it isn't!"

"Yes it is!"

"No!"

"The fuck it ain't!"

"Guys!" I yelled, and they both looked over at me.

I pursed my lips, placing my hands on my hips. "You guys are gonna scare away the customers. And by the way, no "Hey, Mackenna! We missed ya! How ya been, we haven't seen ya in a while!"?, and no hug? Really?"

The two looked at each other sheepishly and smiled, embarrassed.

"Sorry, Kenna. We missed ya." They said in union as they leaned across the counter and hugged me, and I rolled my eyes with a smirk as I hugged them back.

"Uhh, hey, Bill, whatcha doing? You know you're not supposed to be back there, right?" Richie commented, and Bill shot him a look and rolled his eyes before gulping down more soda.

Eddie elbowed him in the ribs, causing Richie to let out a hiss and glare at him.

Eddie sighed, "So, uhh, how's your dad doing? I mean… any changes?"

I huffed, moving my bangs out of my eyes. "No… not really. He's just been so upset every since gramps died… I just don't know if he's gonna be switching roles anytime soon."

The Losers and my other best friends are the only people who know about my home life. That's honestly because I don't trust anyone else. I _can't_. I gradually looked over at my dad who was laughing and talking with a customer. What would people do if they found out that my dad abused my mom? They'd take us away, too. And I really don't think I'm in the mood to be put through all that.

I gave a small smile. "But hey, the important thing is that we keep on hoping, right?"

Eddie smiled in return. "Yeah, guess you're right."

I let out a tired huff, scratching the back of my neck. I noticed that behind them, the line was getting pretty long. But most were talking, so they didn't exactly seem impatient, but they did technically look hungry and thirsty.

"Oh!" I said as realization struck me. "You guys must want a snack too, right? Hold up a sec!"

I set out Eddie and Richie's usual on the counter for them, and they paid before grabbing them.

"Well," I smiled. "If that's all, I guess I should get back to work. I'll see you at school, okay?" I uttered, and turned to walk off.

"A-A-Actually,"

I turned to Bill, surprised. "Yeah?"

"W-We w-w-were w-wondering I-if you w-wanna hang o-o-out with us for a-a b-b-bit? I-I m-mean, th-that's o-okay i-if y-y-you c-c-can't. W-We g-g-get th-that y-you've g-g-got st-st-studying to d-d-do a-and s-such, b-but it-it would m-mean a l-lot i-if-"

"What Bill's trying to say is, take a break and hang out for a bit!" Richie cut in, pulling his goofy grin.

"Yeah, we barely see you anymore." Eddie added, grinning.

"U-Um, y-yeah." Bill said, turning to me with a small smile. "C-C-Can y-y-you?" He asked hopefully.

I paused before grinning and chuckling, "Okay, guys. Why not? I've honestly got nothing to do when I get home, so yeah. Just let me tell dad I'm taking a break, alright?"

I could see that Bill was excited, considering how big his grin was. "A-A-Alright. M-M-Meet u-us o-outside, o-o-okay?"

I nodded, and the boys took off out the doors of the shack.

I giggled to myself and held up 1 finger for the customers to wait before I walked over to my dad.

"Hey, Dad!" I said, and he looked at me. "I'm going out with Bill and the others for a while, alright?"

He smiled. "Alright. Just be back at home for dinner at 6, ladybug. I'll take over. Good job today. I'll give you the pay after dinner."

"Kay! Later!"

I took my rubber band off my wrist and tied my red hair up in a high ponytail, but before I went forward, I felt a slight shiver down my spine. It felt like…someone was watching me….

"You okay, ladybug?" I heard my father call over, and I looked, smiling and nodding that I was fine, even though I didn't feel that way.

"Alright! Have fun!"

I sighed. By now, that weird feeling was gone. Strange. Oh well. I wasn't going to keep Bill and the others waiting. I ran out the doors to go meet them.

* * *

I walked over to find Bill leaning against his bike, and the others chatting with each other. I smiled.

"Hey."

Bill looked over and grinned. "H-Hey."

I was confused when he frowned. "K-Kenna, y-you o-okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I retorted, confused.

"W-W-Well, y-you l-look kinda p-pale. I-I'm j-just w-worried."

"Oh."

"Y-You w-w-wanna t-talk a-about it?"

I huffed, leaning against Silver. "Bill?" I asked.

"Y-Yup?"

I chewed my lip, thinking about how to word it. "Do you ever feel like you're being…watched?"

When I looked at him, he hummed in thought, but his gaze remained on me.

"Y-You m-mean being w-watched watched? L-Like, the k-kind of w-watched w-where ch-chills a-are s-sent d-down y-your sp-spine o-or wh-whatever? Th-That kind?"

"Yes!"

Bill folded his arms, smiling a little. "I-I m-mean s-sure, b-but b-barely. I c-can t-tell you wh-who r-really g-gets feelings l-l-like th-those, th-though."

"You do? Who?" I asked curiously.

"Juh-Juh-Georgie."

I found myself unconsciously smiling warmly at the thought of Bill's adorable little brother. He was always so sweet and kind, and he's such a little cutie! I loved seeing Georgie whenever I went to his house.

"Really?" I said, and Bill nodded.

"U-Uh huh. H-He's actually b-been g-getting them a l-lot l-lately. H-He c-comes into my room, and I j-just h-head to his b-bedroom and stay there t-til' h-he falls a-asleep, b-but I actually fall a-asleep r-right a-along with h-him."

"Aww," I cooed. "Y'know, Bill, you have such a cute and sweet brother."

"I-I know. H-He annoys m-me s-sometimes, b-but I-I know. T-To b-be honest, I l-love the hell out of th-that kid. H-He means a-a l-lot t-to m-m-me. I-I d-don't k-know wh-what'd I-I'd d-do if s-something e-ever happened to him."

"I feel you." I grinned. I understood him because I felt the exact same way about Missy.

"Yo, Bill! Kenna!" We heard Richie yell, and saw him walking over to us. "What are you guys doing?"

"S-S-Sorry," Bill apologized. "J-Just t-talking." He paused, "H-Hey, R-R-Richie, y-you ever f-feel like y-you're b-being watched? Like the ch-chills kind o-of w-w-watched?"

Richie smirked just as Eddie walked over. "Please! Whenever you're over Eddie's house, you're always being watched! Just seeing her underwear makes me wanna pass out!"

"Fuck you, Richie!" Eddie snarled with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey, I can't help the fact that you live inside of your mom!"

"You son of a bitch!"

Richie laughed as he jumped on his bike and began to ride off.

"Get your fucking ass back here!" Eddie yelled as he hopped on his own and sped after him.

"W-We sh-should p-probably g-go get th-them before E-Eddie k-kills R-Richie." Bill said.

"Yeah," I giggled. "We probably should. Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2-Enemies & Bullies

~Enemies & Bullies~

Mackenna pulled out her lighter and lit a cigarette on her walk to school, popping it into her mouth and holding it there. She usually went to Bill's house and got him up in the morning so they could walk together and drop Georgie off to his school in the process, but he had a terrible chest cold, and it was getting worse by the day, so she figured that she should hold off this time. If he was ever going to get better, he needed rest, and tons of it.

In order to get to school, she had to go through the park. Most mornings it was pretty peaceful yet crowded on the walk to school, but this time was different. It was quiet. Too quiet. Barely anyone was there, except for a few kids around the ages of seven or eight, like Georgie. For some reason, Kenna couldn't spot the kids' parents around anywhere. Wasn't it a little too early to leave your kids alone in the park?

Chewing her lip, the redhead stopped and watched the children. There were 6 total. They all played in groups of 3. One trio had all girls, while another trio had all boys.

The female trio consisted of one girl, ( _obviously the leader)_ who had short hazelnut brown hair that was down at neck length, and a pair of beautiful green eyes that reminded her of her brother. She had silver dangling angel wing earrings on and a golden necklace that had a rose on it reaching the collar of her shirt, was wearing a heavy set black fur coat with a white shirt underneath that had a big pink and blue butterfly, some black skinny jeans and a pair of brown boots that reached her knees. She giggled cutely as she ran away from of her friends, as they were clearly playing tag.

The second one was a little taller than the leader. She had long, strawberry blonde hair that reached all the way to her waist, and dark, cocoa brown eyes. She had some freckles that reminded Mackenna of herself. The blonde wore a simple hot pink jacket, unzipped, revealing a black shirt that had some sort of baby pink lettering ( _spelling out something Kenna couldn't read from where she was standing)_ , a pair of white long pants and royal blue sneakers. She wore a big, goofy smirk as she tried her hardest to catch her leader.

The last girl had bright ginger medium length hair that reached her shoulders, and some bright icy blue eyes, and Kenna noticed that she had some braces as she laughed while running. The ginger haired wore a silver snowflake necklace and snowflake wire earrings. Unlike her two best friends, she wore no jacket or hoodie. Instead, she wore a white long sleeved sweater that had bright blue snowflakes all over, some dark pink mittens and matching earmuffs, dark blue skinny jeans and white rhinestone legwarmers with some short black leather boots reaching up to her ankles. She laughed loudly, both arms in front of her as she ran, catching up to the other girls.

The boy trio was just beginning the game of hide and seek, giggling out loud, and two boys ran off in separate directions while one stood there and counted, his hands placed firmly over his eyes with a big grin on his face, giggling as he counted.

One boy ran off in the right direction. That one had a short, but full mop of dirty blonde hair, his bangs falling in his eyes as he ran, and greyish-green eyes. He was wearing a royal blue hoodie, with a pair of dark black pants and some black & white tennis shoes. His hood was pulled up, as if he wanted to stay hidden from anyone else who might be watching where he's going to hide.

The kid who ran in the left direction had dark brown hair and lime green eyes. He was wearing a red hoodie with gray pants and green shoes. He smirked as he jogged, planning on finding somewhere good to hide.

The young boy who was seeking with a smile on his face had raven black hair, though Kenna couldn't see his eyes due to them being covered. He wore a sky blue jacket with tan pants and teal blue shoes.

Mackenna almost found herself walking over to the children, however a loud crash stopped her in her tracks, followed by many bangs and crashes after that. The redhead nearly jumped out of her skin, instantly spinning around.

There before her on the street, was five cars, all smashed into each other, gas, blood, and glass on the street. A putrid smell filled the air, and she knew that the drivers were dead. She covered her hand with her mouth as she tugged her cigarette out, spinning back away from the scene.

"That's the third accident this week," She said to herself as she slowly sat down on the bench, dropping her smoke in the holder in the process.

Glancing up, she found herself even more shocked. The other five children from before were gone. There was no trace of where they went, they were just gone. The only one that still remained was the strawberry blonde, who was simply standing on the grass, apparently playing with her jacket.

Mackenna gaped. "Did she seriously not notice that accident?"

Wanting to find out, the teenager jumped off the bench and trotted down the hill towards the girl.

"Ugh, come on, stupid zipper!" The blonde complained, trying to get it unstuck. "Work!"

"Need some help?" Giggled the voice of what sounded like a teenager, causing her to jump, startled, and turn around, to see a redhead standing in front of her with a friendly smile.

"Mmmm…" The blonde mumbled uncertainly before nodding. "Mm hmm…"

The child stared down the whole time, twiddling her hair with her fingers as the girl fixed her jacket for her. Upon doing so, she was finally able to read the lettering on her shirt.

"Hmm?" Mackenna mumbled as she read it.

 **Maeryn**

"Oh, so that's what's on there." Kenna commented with a smile, while the girl bit her lip nervously. "Your name's Maeryn."

"Y-Yeah," Maeryn answered shyly. "But my friends always just call me Mae."

"Well, my name's Mackenna! Nice to meet ya!" She paused, looking around. "Hey… where are those friends of yours anyways?"

Mae didn't reply, and only stared down at her shoes.

Kenna frowned at her lack of answer. "Mae?"

Said girl looked up at her.

"Where are they?"

The strawberry blonde only shrugged, kicking the dirt.

"Do you _know_ where they are?" Mackenna asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Mae nodded gradually.

"Where are they then?"

"...I-I can't tell you" Mae finally said, peeling at her lip a little bit and glancing up at the teenager.

Kenna frowned. "Why not?"

"First, I don't even know you…and second…I was ordered not to say anything to anyone."

"By who?" Mackenna deadpanned. "Your mom? Is it a woman?"

"No."

"A man?"

"No…. **IT**. IT told me not to."

"H-Huh?" Mackenna blinked, confused. "Who's 'IT'?"

".…I can't tell you that either. I'm honestly surprised at the fact that you haven't recognized my name…" Mae riposted, mumbling the last bit so low that Kenna couldn't hear.

"Wait," Mackenna said slowly."So he's the one who told you not to say anything?"

"Not _he_. IT." Mae corrected before peeling at her lip some more. "I have to go now…"

"Mackenna!"

Said teenage girl spun around to see three of her best friends running towards her, all with their backpacks slung over they're shoulders.

One teenage girl had auburn hair reaching her shoulders, and very bright blue eyes. She was wearing a dark blue denim jean jacket with a powder blue lace T-Shirt underneath, blue jeans and white fur boots.

Another had golden brown copper hair reaching slightly past the middle of her back, which was tied up in a tight ponytail, and aquamarine eyes. She was wearing a red sweater and some white skinny jeans with a pair of brown short boots.

The final had bright sunshine blonde hair that was tied up in a braid reaching her waist, and gray-ish blue eyes that had more blue than gray. She was wearing a emerald green long sleeved lace T-Shirt with a pink fur coat over it, and some white tights with pink & black flats.

"Are you seriously still here?!" The auburn haired, known as Mia, exclaimed at her. "We're gonna be late!"

"Yeah, Kenna, what's up?" The brunette, Sabrina, asked calmly.

"Come on, Come on, let's go!" Yelled the blonde, Kaelyn, and began pushing Mackenna from behind.

"H-Hold up, Kae!" Mackenna exclaimed, flustered. "I can walk on my own…."

She trailed off as she glanced behind her, and noticed that the young girl was gone. The last thing she saw was a odd red balloon floating by before being roughly pushed out of the park by her best friends.

* * *

Mae let out a pained yelp as she was thrown against the sewer wall, and when she looked up, she was met with a pair of yellow eyes rimmed with red, filled with anger.

"What. Was. _That_?!" IT snarled in her face.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Mae riposted, trying to cut out the fear in her voice, which she was successful.

Her friends were watching nervously, filled with evident terror.

"Don't test me, kid. You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. Now answer me! What was that?!"

"I didn't know what to say!" Mae exclaimed, glaring. "What was I supposed to do?! Just walk away and pretend she's not there?! It wouldn't be right!"

Pennywise growled, "Well, it's a hell of a lot better then almost spilling it! Here's the thing, kid, your deal with me is basically your life machine! You break it, you lose your life, got that!? That includes not mentioning me, or the deal itself, unless ya wanna die! It's been 5 years now, child! You and your snotty ass brat friends should know this by now! You're either with me, or against me! And if you're against me, you may as well kiss your little life, _and your family_ , goodbye!"

"But she wouldn't leave me alone, so…"

"Hmm," Pennywise hummed, licking it's lips. "That little brat sure seemed persistent, that's for sure…..I wonder if she would make a good meal…"

His glare returned."Alright, I'll spare you this! But if that ever happens again, I demand you run away!"

"Okay" Mae said with a nod and a slight roll of her eyes.

Pennywise backed up and began walking off. He looked behind his shoulder. "Oh," He uttered, and Mae and her friends looked over. They winced at the stomach churning smirk he pulled.

"It's been 27 long years, brats. The time has finally come for my feast to start again. And you are going to help me. So if I were you, I would get rest. It's gonna be a long day. Sweet dreams~!" Pennywise chuckled demonically, his nauseating laugh filling the air, and continued walking off, disappearing into the distance.

"Okay," The hazelnut brunette, Astra, sighed, sitting on the sewer floor. She would usually think it's disgusting for her feet to even come in contact, but since it's been 5 years, she's grown used to it.

"You heard him. We may as well get some sleep."

"I still find it hard to even close my eyes down here,"

Uttered the ginger haired girl named Autumn nervously, chewing her lip.

"Yeah," Huffed the dirty blonde haired boy, Brendan, sitting down and beginning to lie on his side. "But we gotta. We gotta listen to what he says, unless we wanna end up Pennywise's side dishes."

"God, I wish we didn't," Commented the chocolate brown haired boy, Mark, as he sat down next to his best friend. "This is stupid!"

"You got that right." The raven haired boy, Nate, snarled, his auburn gaze on his shoes. "But… we really don't have a choice… we have a deal. Besides, I'd rather it be me than my family anyways."

"Mae?" Autumn asked. "You gonna come sleep?"

"Yeah." Mae riposted, walking over and lying close next to her friends. She looked down, refusing to meet eyes with them.

"Are you okay?" Mark asked, anxious and worried.

"I'm sorry I dragged you all into this," Mae apologized, playing with her hair. "I wish I didn't. You guys don't deserve this. I do. Maybe if I just go and convince him to break the deal with you guys… I'm all he needs, anyways. You guys are just bonuses…."

"What?" Autumn gaped, and the others had shocked, horrified expressions. "Mae, are you crazy!? You can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because we're not leaving you down here with that thing, that's why not!" Mark answered sternly. "The answer is no."

"But…" Mae uttered. "You guys will finally be with your families again."

"You're our family too, Mae." Astra said with a big grin. "And families never leave a member behind."

"We're in this together." Brendan finished with a smile.

Mae could feel her heart melt. "Aww, you guys," She cooed, smiling. "Thanks. Sorry for being stupid there for a minute."

"Forgotten." Mark said, grinning, and blushed at her warm smile. "Let's just get some sleep."

"Alright. I love you guys." Mae said before closing her eyes, and everything fell black as she instantly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Bill burst into a coughing fit, and instantly grabbed a tissue from Eddie, coughing until he finally hacked up some phlegm and spat it into the tissue before throwing it into the garbage can. He groaned, running a hand through his sweaty red hair.

They were waiting outside the school for Mackenna, poor Bill hacking, sneezing and coughing all the while, and Eddie repeatedly handing him tissues.

"Th-Th-Thanks, E-E-Eddie." Bill uttered, his nose clogged up and his throat the same way, and he threw his last tissue, most likely the tenth one, into the garbage can before stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Jesus, Big Bill, if you're so sick, why didn't you just stay home?" Richie questioned.

"I-I-It's j-j-just a-a c-c-cold," Bill riposted. "A-A-And b-besides, I-I a-already st-stayed h-home a-a c-couple t-times, r-remember? I-If I-I st-stay h-home a-anymore, I-I'll g-g-get i-in t-trouble w-with m-m-my d-d-dad f-for b-being a-a-a p-p-pussy." He stated, shivering towards the end of his explanation.

"We're here!"

The Losers turned to see Sabrina, Mia, and Kaelyn walking towards them with Mackenna who was smiling sheepishly.

"W-W-What t-took y-you s-s-so l-long?" Bill asked with a frown, mainly directing his question towards Kenna.

"Yeah, you took about 15 minutes" Stan stated.

"Sorry, Bill," Mackenna apologized geuinely with a small smile. "Got held up at the park." She went in and hugged him. "How ya feeling?"

"T-The same," Bill answered honestly with a small smile. "B-But I'll b-be fine. It j-just a-a st-stupid-" He paused to cough. "…A st-stupid c-c-cold."

"You sure you'll survive today?"

"Y-Yup,"

"Alright."

"Hey, let's head in," Sabrina suggested. "I really don't feel that comfortable standing out here like this. Don't wanna run into Bowers…" She said, her eyes narrowing at the thought of the bully.

A shiver was sent down Mackenna's spine. "You're right. Let's go." She said before turning around, her red ponytail swishing, swaying and blowing in the sudden autumn winds as she lead her friends into the building.

* * *

Chatter filled the cafeteria as teenagers walked in and out, back and forward, and up and down, getting in lines for lunch or buying lunch.

Mackenna sat down in the middle of Bill and Sabrina, and the other five sat on the other side of the table. Bill coughed badly and groaned, laying his head down on Kenna's shoulder. Mackenna frowned.

"You okay, Bill?" She asked, concerned as she looked him over. He looked feverish and very pale, not to mention weak.

"Y-Yeah, just tired." Bill yawned. He felt a little dizzy, so he leaned his complete weight into her.

Kenna moved her hand up to his head, moving his sweat drenched hair out of the way before feeling his forehead, wincing with a small hiss, and her frown deepened.

"God, Bill, you're burning up!" She uttered, and sighed anxiously before looking to Eddie.

"Eddie, here," She said, puling a spare rag out of her pocket. "Go to the bathroom and wet this with ice cold water, will ya? We gotta bring his fever down, or he'll pass out before the day ends."

"On it." Eddie riposted before grabbing the rag and walking off.

Mackenna felt a slight weight on her shoulder, looked back to Bill, and saw that the boy had fallen asleep due to exhaustion, his head resting heavily on her shoulder, his chest rising with each inhale and falling with each exhale evenly, and she was about to wake him up, but Sabrina stopped her.

"No, don't wake him!" She whispered urgently, and Mackenna whipped her head over to her. "Let him sleep." She said more calmly. "Considering how sick he is, he needs it. You said yourself, he needs to get better. Maybe he'll be okay enough to head to the lake tomorrow."

"Yeah, you're right." Mackenna uttered, and stroked Bill's hair.

Abruptly, Mia's eyes widened. "Oh, you have got to be screwing me…" She growled.

"No, nobody's screwing you here, Mia." Richie smirked.

"But I'll take a rain check." He joked.

"Shut the hell up, Richie! Look, you idiot!"

Richie gazed over, and he sighed, exasperated. "Fuck…"

"What?" Mackenna questioned anxiously.

"God…it's Marina and those bitches…just great… not only that, Bowers and his gang is with them." Kaelyn snarled.

Bill jolted awake at the mention of the bullies, startling Mackenna, but the feeling quickly passed.

"J-Just f-fucking g-great…" He murmured, standing up from his seat, swaying a little bit, but Kenna studied him. "Th-Thanks.."

Marina Karter walked towards their table with her smirk firm in place, her friends and Bowers and his gang close behind.

Platinum blonde waves, almost white, streamed down her back like a river, stopping at slightly past shoulder length . Her blonde hair was tied back in a tight, wavy ponytail. Marina's silver-gray eyes glowered down at Mackenna despite her smug was bigger than Mackenna, and most of the other losers, not to mention older, too.

Kacy Rosewood, the second-in-command to the group of girls. Dark chocolate colored curls ran down slightly passed the middle of her back, and dark brown, almost black eyes stared down at the losers through the brown bangs that fell in her eyes, and once she brushed them out of the way, her eyes looked just as cold as Marina's. She, like the other girls, had a much bigger frame. Large and intimidating.

Golden river flowing down to her her bottom, tied up in two pigtails, and Valkyrie eyes, stood Brianna Keller herself, arms folded across her chest,stomach churning smirk plastered across her face, a glint of amusement sparkling in her eyes as she snickered.

Hair as dark as the midnight sky, blue eyes as dark and deep as the ocean. Luna King played with her black hair, which barely reached her back, and chuckled, seeming to be enjoying staring them down. Her gaze was sly and cunning, as if she were planning something.

Moving her auburn colored braid out of her way, Teresa Heart's dark green eyes shot Mackenna and her friends nothing but gazes of hatred, and what looked like faux pity, as if she were telling them that she would hate to be them right now. Stuffing her hands in her pockets, she smirked and looked to her leader.

"Well, Well, Well," Marina chuckled, circling the group that sat at the table, the losers glaring daggers at her, mainly Mackenna.

She stopped at Mackenna and snickered. "If it isn't shitty ass slut girl." Kenna growled at the name. Marina ignored it and looked to her friends. "…And her snobby loser friends. Did you not throw them in the garbage can yet, Kenna? After all, all they are is useless pieces of _trash_!"

Richie silently mouthed the words "fucking son of a bitch!", Sabrina secretly flipped her off under the table, Mia actually silently mouthed the words "fuck you!", while Stan, Kaelyn, and Bill just gave them the dirtiest looks ever.

" _Don't_ talk about them that way." Mackenna snarled, her anger quickly rising. "If I were you, I'd shut your mouth. What they hell do you want anyway?!"

"Who? _Me_?" Marina blinked, pulling the innocent card, and her friends snickered. She chuckled, before glaring at her. "Oh, there's a whole lot of things I want from you." She snarled, getting dangerously close, but Mackenna didn't flinch or budge.

"But!" She sang, "Since I can't get those from you right now, I suppose I'll get them sooner or later. In the mean time, how's your father? _Is he still abusing your mom_?" She smirked wickedly.

Mackenna's eyes widened, startled, but she quickly hissed, "None of your fucking business! Back off!"

"Woah, easy there, Kenna! I just wanna make sure that everything's alright! After all, you don't wanna become like him, right? Drinking and abusing your loved ones? Ha! What a sorry excuse for a man you have for a father!"

Bill slammed his fist on the table before getting up and gazing at her angrily. "F-F-Fuck o-o-off, Marina!"

Marina gasped. "O-O-Oh n-n-no," She said, mocking Bill, causing Henry to laugh. "I-I-It's B-B-Billy! Wh-What e-ever w-will I-I do?" She said before bursting into laughter, her friends joining in.

Bill growled before getting close to her and hissing, "If you don't leave her alone, I-I swear I will hunt you down and make you regret it! I'll make your life f-fucking miserable! You better back off, before I make you!"

Marina was legitimately startled, and Mackenna smirked triumphantly.

Her glare however returned when Henry stepped in, glowering at him.

"Wrong move, Denbrough. Don't you know not to make a girl cry?" He growled, grabbing at the collar of Bill's shirt and pulled him so close that their noses were practically touching. Bill grunted, but glared equally at him.

"N-Not if it's a b-bitch like that." He spat.

Henry glared even harder, and raised his fist to punch him.

"Henry!" Belch hissed.

"What!?" Henry exclaimed in response, agitated.

Marina pointed, and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a teacher, glaring at him and shaking his head no.

Henry growled, and looked back to Bill. "…We'll continue this later." He uttered before pushing Bill roughly, and as Mackenna stood up, he landed into her, causing both to hit the ground with a thump.

Mackenna helped Bill stand up, the boy leaning heavily on her, pale as a ghost.

"Like fuck we will! Go screw yourselves, you motherfucking assholes!" Richie yelled after them.

"Guys!"

The losers turned to see Eddie running over, and he skidded to a stop in front of them.

"Sorry I took so long! You don't wanna know what happened in there."

"Yeah," Mackenna grunted, shifting against Bill's weight. "I don't think we do either."

"Here, Bill." Eddie said, handing the rag out to Bill.

The boy looked down at it weakly, but just as he reached out to grab it, he felt his head spin and he let out a groan, and collapsed onto the ground, causing everyone's eyes to widen, and Mackenna yelped in shock as she helped him up.

"Bill!?"

* * *

"So, that son of a bitch Marina walked over, and they all started being the dicks that they were!" Richie explained to Eddie as the two walked ahead of the others, Mackenna, Bill, Mia, Kaelyn, Sabrina, and Stan close behind.

Bill's arm was pulled over one of Kenna's shoulders and Mackenna had a hand on his back, the boy leaning his weight into her as he walked. He wasn't so pale or red in the face anymore, and he seemed to have regained his composure a little bit.

He smiled,"I-I th-think I'm o-okay t-to w-walk n-now."

"You sure?" Mackenna asked, and Bill nodded. "Alright."

She allowed Bill to stand on his own, and they walked over to where the others were, by Richie and Eddie.

"I swear, the next time we see those fucking assholes, I'm gonna-"

"E-E-Easy th-there, trash mouth." Bill laughed, patting Richie's shoulder.

Richie adjusted his glasses and turned to Bill. "Oh, hey, Big Bill. You feel any better?"

"Y-Y-Yeah, th-thanks."

"Hey, Bill," Mackenna uttered. "We gotta go pick up Missy and Georgie, remember? School ends in twenty minutes. We should go now, or we'll be late."

"Oh yeah." Bill riposted, and he chuckled nervously to himself, remembering how upset Georgie and Missy were the last time they were late, especially Georgie.

 _Georgie walked ahead of Bill, Bill continously trying to catch up to him, while Mackenna was dealing with Missy far behind._

 _"C-C-Come on, Juh-Georgie! I-I said I w-was s-sorry l-like a million times! I won't be late again, I promise!" Bill said, desperate for his brother to forgive him and forget about it._

 _"That's what you said the last three times you were late" Georgie stated bluntly, and Bill looked down, cheeks burning with embarrassment. "You forgot about me twice, Billy, including this time makes three times. Don't you even love me?"_

 _The boy's bottom lip trembled, and Bill's eyes widened. He jumped in front of the boy and knelt down, desperately wiping at his little brother's eyes._

 _"No, No, No, No, No! Juh-Georgie, don't cry! Please don't c-c-cry! I-I'm s-sorry, alright!? It-It won't happen again!"_

 _"You promise?"_

 _"Y-Y-Yes. Wh-What w-will it t-take t-to m-make you f-forgive me?"_

 _Georgie smirked._

It took both Bill and Mackenna $6.85 each worth of double scoop ice cream cones to get their siblings to forgive them. Georgie didn't truly think much of Bill being late, he just liked to mess around with him to get what he wanted. Bill always fell for the tears trick that Georgie pulled, but he couldn't help it. Whether it's real or fake, Bill can't stand seeing his brother upset.

Sabrina frowned. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay walking just the two of you? I mean, what if you run into Marina, or Bowers and his gang?"

Bill smiled reassuringly. "D-Don't w-worry about it. We'll be fine. Besides, w-we're t-taking a different route than h-him o-or the g-girls a-anyways." He really wanted to get going. He couldn't afford to spend six dollars or more on ice cream again.

Mia grinned. "Alright then. See ya later!"

"Bye." The duo said in union and turned to walk off.

* * *

"How you feeling now?" Mackenna asked as they walked together towards Missy & Georgie's school.

Bill smiled softly. "B-Better."

The girl reached over and felt Bill's head. She smiled as she pulled back. "That's good. Your fever went way down, but don't forget to take medicine when you get home."

Bill laughed. "I-I w-will, m-mom." He teased playfully, bumping her in the shoulder.

Mackenna giggled and bumped him back, and they laughed as this lasted for a few seconds, before they were out of breath due to laughing so hard.

"Thanks, Bill." She said abruptly in a soft tone, and the boy looked at her. "For standing up for me with Marina. Don't know how I would've handled that bitch had you not been there."

Bill grinned. "N-No s-sweat. B-Brothers l-look out f-for sisters, r-right?"

"Right."

The teen looked up and chuckled. "H-Hey, l-looks like we won't b-be sp-spending a-any m-money on ice cream t-today. We're here. A-And j-just on t-time, t-too."

The school bell rang, and tons of elementary students rushed out of the building, running and brushing past Mackenna and Bill, causing the two teens to chuckle.

"Billy!"

Bill grunted as he felt his little brother catapult himself into his arms, and Bill chuckled, placing his hands on his shoulders.

"H-H-Hey, Juh-Juh-Georgie. H-How was school?"

"Good!" Georgie giggled as he pulled away, and Bill huffed as he grabbed Georgie's backpack, slinging it over his shoulder, and the four began walking, Missy's backpack slung over Mackenna's own shoulder, her arm around her little sister as they talked.

"S-So what happened?" Bill asked.

"It was so fun! We're learning how to learn origami! I made my own paper bird today! I'll show you when we get home!"

Bill laughed at his brother's enthusiasm. "O-Okay, Georgie."

"...Billy?"

"Mm hmm?"

"Can me and Missy please get some ice cream?"

"Yeah!" Missy cheered.

Mackenna and Bill sighed, looking over at each other.

"B-But Georgie, we w-weren't late." Bill pointed out.

Georgie pouted. "But I want some!"

"Georgie…"

"Please, Bill!? _Pleeaasee_?" Georgie begged, giving Bill his famous puppy dog eyes.

Bill sighed again as he felt his guard go down.

"Y-You k-know I-I hate w-when you do that…"

Missy gasped. "Wait, does that mean we can have some?!" She interjected hopefully.

"Yes, okay?" Mackenna groaned. "Let's just hurry up and get there. I've got homework, and Bill needs rest."

"Yay!" The two cheered as they ran off ahead of Bill and Mackenna.

"It-It's been a long day," Bill uttered. "B-But wh-whenever I s-see that k-kid happy l-like th-that, i-it a-always cheers me up." He said, smiling.

Mackenna grinned with a tired huff. "Yeah, same here."

"Well, let's go."

The girl paused in her tracks. A chill was sent down her spine. She felt like someone was standing right behind her. She abruptly felt too scared to turn around.

But once she finally mustered up the courage to do so, she saw nothing. She frowned, confused.

"K-Kenna?"

Said girl turned to see her friend looking back at her with a frown.

"Y-You alright?"

Mackenna shook her head and smiled, running over to catch up with her friend. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry. Let's go find Missy & Georgie before they get a brain freeze from trying out every sample in the shop."

Bill chuckled at this. They returned to walking with each other. Glancing behind her shoulder, she saw the familiar red balloon behind a tree. Gulping, she turned back to Bill and grinned, listening to him talk away, and didn't bother looking behind her again for the rest of the walk to the shop.


End file.
